Frontrunning Summer Raven Wins Tempted

Edited from NYRA reportsSummer Raven went to the front, set all of the fractions and drew off to win the 29th running of the $104,600 Tempted (gr. III), co-feature on Tuesday's Election Day card at Aqueduct.

"She broke pretty sharp and made the lead pretty easily," said winning Stewart Elliott, who picked up the mount because Richard Migliore was injured. "I just wanted to sit and get her comfortable. She kept running. I knew I had some horse left. I knew she was going to be tough to beat. She dug in and was able to win it."

Todd Pletcher, the winning trainer, was planning to run Summer Raven in an allowance race later in the week, but New York Racing Association stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes talked him into the Tempted.

"I have got to give this trophy to Andrew Byrnes because I wasn't planning on running," Pletcher said. "He called down a couple days ahead of time and said this race was coming up real light."

Summer Raven set fractions of :23 1/5, :46 1/5, and 1:10 1/5 before pulling away to win the one-mile race for juvenile fillies in 1:36. She won by two lengths and paid $15.20. K.D.s Shady Lady returned $6.90 and $2.60, and Salute, the 1-2 favorite, paid $2.10 to show.

"I thought I had the filly on the lead, but my filly didn't punch the way I thought she should," said jockey John Velazquez of Salute. "She didn't stop, but she didn't punch either."

Added Buzz Tenney, the assistant for trainer Shug McGaughey III: "We just got outrun today. I couldn't see any excuses."

Summer Raven, a juvenile Kentucky-bred bay filly by Summer Squall, out of Rahy Rose (Rahy), earned $63,960 for Edgewood Farm. She is now 2-1-1 from six starts with earnings of $118,910. She broke her maiden in her third start in a 6 1/2-furlong race on Aug. 29 at Saratoga. Since, she has run in two graded stakes races at Belmont, finishing sixth in the Matron (gr. I) on Sept. 19 and third in the Astarita (gr. III) on Oct. 17.